Is TransUnion SmartMove a Hard Inquiry?

TransUnion SmartMove only generates a soft credit inquiry, so it never creates a hard pull on your credit report. The tenant‑screening report landlords receive is based on that soft pull and does not affect your score; any hard inquiry would have to come from a separate credit‑reporting service, not from SmartMove. Because it's a soft inquiry, it won't show up as a hard‑pull line on your report, which you'll learn to distinguish in the next section 'how to spot a hard versus soft inquiry on your report'.

Hard inquiries list under the 'Inquiries' section with a label that reads 'hard' or 'credit check,' show the creditor's name, and include a date that counts toward your score for up to 12 months (they remain on the report for 2 years). If you see 'TransUnion SmartMove' marked as a hard pull, that entry will affect your FICO or VantageScore in most cases.

Soft inquiries also appear in the 'Inquiries' area but are tagged 'soft,' 'account review,' or 'not reported to credit score,' and they never impact your score; they stay visible for 2 years but are ignored by scoring models. For example, a line that reads 'TransUnion SmartMove - soft inquiry (tenant screening)' tells you the check is harmless. For a quick reference on differentiating the two, see understanding hard and soft inquiries.

TransUnion SmartMove generates only a soft inquiry, so in most cases it does not change your score at all. Soft pulls are invisible to lenders and add no points‑deduction, meaning you can run SmartMove without fearing an immediate hit.

If a landlord decides to run a full credit check outside of SmartMove, that separate hard inquiry can shave up to five points from your score, usually for about a year, and stays on your report for two years. For example, a tenant who scored 720 could see a temporary dip to 715 after the landlord's hard pull, then recover as the inquiry ages. (TransUnion explains hard‑inquiry effects)

Multiple SmartMove checks do not stack and they do not hurt your credit score because SmartMove uses a soft credit pull, which never appears as a hard inquiry on your report. Since the inquiry is soft, it has zero impact on scoring and the 30‑day 'rate‑shopping' rule for hard pulls does not apply, so you can request another check at any time without penalty.

• Soft pull only, no hard inquiry recorded
• No change to credit score, now or later
• Unlimited checks are safe; timing does not matter

When a landlord runs TransUnion SmartMove, they receive a concise tenant‑screening report that shows exactly what matters for renting.

• Credit score range and a 'good‑/fair‑/poor' rating, pulled via a soft inquiry that doesn't affect your score.
• Summary of recent credit activity: on‑time rent/payments, any flagged late or missed payments, and high‑balance accounts.
• Eviction history (if any) and public‑record judgments, presented as 'no evictions' or a list of dates and outcomes.
• Verified address history and identity details to confirm you are who you claim to be.
• Optional income verification and employment info, included only if you consented during the SmartMove request.

SmartMove generates a soft inquiry, so it does not affect the applicant's credit score, while a handful of other tenant‑screening tools can produce hard inquiries that do.

• TransUnion SmartMove - soft inquiry only, no score impact.
• Experian RentBureau - soft inquiry in most cases; becomes a hard pull if the landlord requests a full credit report and the applicant authorizes it.
• Equifax Rental Screening - soft inquiry unless the renter signs consent for a traditional credit check, which then registers as a hard inquiry.
• CoreLogic Rental Insight - soft inquiry by default; some third‑party agents may trigger a hard pull when they run a full credit report.
• Traditional landlord credit check through major bureaus - hard inquiry, lowers the score temporarily (typically for 12 months, visible for 2 years).

Because only hard inquiries can dent a credit score, the next section shows five practical ways to avoid a hard pull during the screening process.

SmartMove can run a soft pull instead of a hard inquiry if you take a few proactive steps.

1. Ask for a soft‑pull tenant screen - Let the landlord know you prefer a soft inquiry; most SmartMove reports are optional and won't affect your score when marked as 'soft'.
2. Provide a recent credit report yourself - Upload a PDF of your own credit report (from AnnualCreditReport.com or a paid service). The landlord can verify income and credit without triggering a new pull.
3. Use a co‑signer or guarantor service - Some guarantor companies run only soft checks on you and handle the hard pull on their own underwriting, keeping your credit untouched.
4. Choose an alternative screening tool - Services like RentPrep or Cozy focus on rental history, employment verification, and background checks, all of which are soft or non‑credit inquiries.
5. Sign a limited‑consent form - When you sign the SmartMove authorization, specify 'soft pull only' in the consent clause; in most cases SmartMove respects the limitation and records a soft inquiry instead of a hard one.

These tactics keep the inquiry type soft, so, as noted earlier, the impact on your credit score is typically nil and the record disappears from the score‑impact zone after 12 months (still visible on the report for 2 years).

Renter‑related hard inquiries stay on your credit report for two years, but they typically affect your score only for the first twelve months; soft inquiries do not affect the score and disappear from your personal view after about a year.

When a landlord uses TransUnion SmartMove, the hard inquiry appears instantly, nudges your score down a few points, and then stops influencing the algorithm after twelve months while remaining visible to future lenders until the two‑year mark. A soft inquiry, such as a pre‑screen check you run yourself, shows up only when you log into your own report and vanishes after roughly twelve months.

As we'll explore in the next section on disputing unexpected hard pulls, you can contest an incorrect SmartMove hard inquiry within sixty days of discovery, following the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidelines.

Dispute the hard inquiry by contacting TransUnion directly and filing a formal error claim.

First, pull your credit report, locate the SmartMove entry, then:

• log into the TransUnion credit dispute portal, upload a screenshot highlighting the inquiry, and choose 'hard inquiry error';
• call 1‑800‑916‑8800, reference your dispute ID, and ask for removal;
• mail a certified‑return‑receipt letter that includes the same details, a copy of your ID, and a brief statement that the inquiry was unauthorized.

Monitor the portal for a resolution, usually within 30 days; once the inquiry is removed, your score will rebound and you'll have a removal notice to show future landlords.

Co‑signing does not cause a hard inquiry; TransUnion SmartMove runs a soft inquiry on the co‑signer's credit, just like it does for the primary applicant. The check appears on the credit report but does not affect the score.

If the landlord orders a separate full credit report outside of SmartMove, that could generate a hard inquiry, but the standard SmartMove screening stays soft. In most cases the soft pull remains on the report for 2 years and has no lasting impact on the credit score. For reference, see the SmartMove FAQ on inquiry types.